Still Tryin'

Being a Father, a Husband and a Teacher rightfully occupies the majority of my time these days, but I still have strong ambitions to go on adventures that allow me to reach amazing places in difficult and interesting ways.

With questionable fitness and strong motivation I successfully bike-skied Glacier Peak over Memorial Day weekend.  A history of hard work, a pinch of self-imposed suffering and the only weather window of the Cascadian Spring all contributed to the success of this excursion.

I am most thankful for the great partners who support me in this long-term project, and a wife who understands that adventure is central to the person I am. 

Kloshe Konaway

Kloshe Nanitch

Matt 

 

The Redline Conquest Classic.  Badass Bike that can handle the demands of daily commuting or light expedition.  

 The Mighty Mount Pilchuck in good spring conditions.  Best bang for your buck summit in the Cascades.  

 The Mighty Big Four.

 Where the pavement ends.

 Anticipating an un-passable washout on the North Fork of the Sauk, D. Rainey saddled up and rolled the end of the bike approach with me.  He could have driven, but stuck with his wing-man; good guy.  

 The Bears are up....and they're hungry!

 Snow line.

 D. Rainey, skinning the slopes south of White Mountain with Sloan Mountain on the horizon.

 After setting up camp and letting things firm up a bit, D & I took a leisurely evening ski!

 Skiing in T-shirts is fun.

 Pretty good campsite.

 It's like being on a moon made of snow.

Pretty ok sunset.

 Parenthood is excellent training for the Alpine Start, D. Rainey skinning the Gerdine Glacier at Sunrise.   

It is truly amazing when weather windows, calendars and fitness can sometimes align to make cool ideas become a reality.

Big Trees. 

Long ride home.

The Oso mudslide was the single-most deadly landslide disaster in the history of the United States.

Ruby Photobomb!  Man that girl is cute!